Evanescent
by moonspirityue
Summary: After Zaheer was defeated and imprisoned, life slowly returns to normal. Everything goes well, until one seemingly normal mission changes everyone's lives for the worst. Years later, the truth begins to unravel, and nothing is as it seems. Can things ever be the same again? My version of what happened after Book 3.
1. The Healing Process

**A/N: I haven't written fanfiction in a long time, so I appreciate helpful feedback if something doesn't seem right or if I have information incorrect. I won't mind going back to fix errors. Really. But if you don't like where I'm going with this, you can always opt out and discontinue reading. Insults are shunned. **  
**The Legend of Korra isn't mine.**  
**Enjoy :)**

* * *

A single tear managed to escape Korra's dried out eyes. She watched as Jinora was annointed an air bending master, knowing that she made this possible. The happiness she felt inside, however, could only be displayed in one tear.

Master Tenzin finished up the age old tradition as the attendees applauded for the second air bending master in the world. He approached Korra sitting dispassionately in her wheel chair, Asami by her side as usual. He paused as he recalled his conversation with President Raiko outside about an hour earlier. Korra looked up at him expecting him to say something.

"I'm so happy for you and Jinora. We're all very proud of her!" Asami tried to speak optimistically in Korra's place due to her ongoing depression. Ever since Korra was restrained to a wheelchair, Asami had been the one pushing her places and catering her needs. She was a good friend, and very supportive, but low self-esteem and stage one depression got the better of the Avatar, and nothing Asami did could lighten her spirit. So the least she could do was brighten the mood around Korra so the impact of her heavy heart wouldn't affect those that came around her.

"Thank you, Asami." Tenzin replied directly, "I am very proud, to say the least, of both my daughter and you, Avatar Korra. You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save me, my family, the entire Air Nation, many other world leaders, and the rest of the world from chaos and destruction. You've come a long way since you first arrived here in Republic CIty, and I know you'll be as wonderful as many avatars before you once were." Tenzin looked to Asami, "Could you give us a minute alone, please?"

"Of course." Asami walked over to where Jinora, Kai, Mako, and Bolin were talking.

Korra watched her leave then turned her attention back to Tenzin. She wasn't sure why he would ask to speak with her in private. She began to feel heavier and her stomach churned at the thought of returning to her avatar duties so soon. "So... What's this about?" She asked hesitantly.

Tenzin closed his eyes and sighed, "You are aware of where we left off here in Republic City. The world is still dealing with these changes and since you've been out handling the Red Lotus, no one has been here handling the situations." Tenzin rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed again. "I hate that you have to deal with so much, but the world will always need it's avatar."

Korra sat hearing his words, but not listening to what he was saying. She has been through too much only to be bound to a wheel chair. She wasn't ready yet. She couldn't return to her job so soon, but she knew she couldn't just tell her world she wasn't strong enough. She sat allowing Tenzin to be a stick in the mud, but she wasn't going to follow through with what was asked of her. She knew she wasn't ready, so she decided to take the time she needed to regain her strength. Her gaze began to shift as Tenzin went on about the future. She noticed how much Jinora looked just like Aang and how happy she was among the many faces seen in this over-sized room. She looked around at everybody she knew and loved. Seeing everybody together at once enjoying a wonderful day made Korra feel 'missing' in a sense.

"Korra?... Korra! Are you listening to me?" Tenzin's slightly agitated voice could finally be heard through Korra's thoughts. Korra placed both her hands on her wheels as she turned towards the door. She didn't want to be a 'party pooper', so she decided to get some fresh air outside on a balcony. Tenzin watched dismally as she left, but decided not to stop her. Korra rolled up beside a tree as she arrived at a large stone hand rail. She watched the bright, flaring sun beaming behind a cloudy horizon, as a small flock of birds made their way across the water. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply allowing nothing to enter her mind.

On the inside, an after party was held in Jinora's honor. Korra decided to stay outside in the same unchanged place until nightfall. The moon sat still in the sky, but its glowing reflection shimmered in the black water. There was a gentle breeze brushing lightly under her hair. A noise could be heard behind her as the sound of heels clamping on the stone ground became louder. A light, yet firm, hand rested on Korra's unflinching shoulder. Asami bent down to eye level with Korra.

"Hey, almost everyone is gone. What do you say we head back in to say goodbye to whoever is left?" Asami tried to say cheerfully, knowing her attempts were futile.

"I didn't want to impose," Korra reasoned, "I think all I really need is to be alone." She continued her gaze at the night time scenery.

Asami stood back up, "No, you need to be around the people you saved, which means you need to be around everybody. The effects of the poison isn't permanent, Korra. Things will get better in time. You just need to be patient." She stated as she pulled the wheelchair back to push forward. "Come on. I think we should call it a night." The two headed inside the building as the night time breeze carried off with a few fallen leaves.

* * *

The following weeks dragged on as Korra's friends tried to help her get better. It was becoming increasingly difficult due to the Air benders becoming nomadic once more. Tenzin still had to help her master air, and while she was very good at it, she wasn't yet a master. She hated the idea of frequent traveling, but knew she didn't have a choice in the matter. After over 4 months in recovery, Korra could walk on her own and move freely without the need of a wheelchair. However, she still needed frequent breaks to sit down and rest. While she was resting outside, Ikki and Meelo jumped beside her to keep her company.

"Are you feeling hurt? Worn out? Do you need assistance? What about water? Do you need that? I'll go get you some!" Ikki chirped bouncing at her side. Korra said nothing as she watched the small girl scoot off to retrieve a glass of water. She looked back to Meelo smiling, rocking his tiny legs back and forth in a chair. Korra smiled back warmly.

"I'm back, Avatar Korra!" Ikki's loud voice was heard entering the room, "I got you plenty of water!"

"Thanks, Ikki, but I'm just exhausted. I don't n-" Korra halted in the middle of her sentence when she saw Ikki returned with a water hose. Korra instinctively shot her arms up ready to water bend when Ikki turned the hose on. "Ahh!" Korra was hit with the ridiculous scream of water, but was able to bend the water off her and catch the rest in mid air. Ikki giggled at the scene as Meelo jumped onto Korra's back and tugged on the sides of her hair in and attempt to cause her to drop the water. The avatar was far more stronger than the child, but she began to feel stressed out none the less. Korra became fully aware that the two siblings had a plan, and she grinned thinking of a solution. "So, you want to play?" Korra water bent the water above her and started sprinting in the young girl's direction with it. Ikki dropped the hose gasping at the approaching teenager and attempted to flee. Korra, with her arms in the air and Meelo still on her back, ran after her to try and soak her with the water. The small child took to the walls and on rooftops hoping to escape the short-fused avatar. Korra stopped to try and figure out how to catch up to her. She was already exhausted from earlier, but was determined to have her vengeance. Looking around, she grinned and continued the chase.

Ikki made her way past all the other buildings at the temple, leaping from roof to roof. She came to the edge of the furthest and last rooftop near a cliff and prepared her glider to take to the sky. She stepped forward off the ledge and leaped onto the air. Suddenly, a heavy rush of water splashed upwards, soaking the young girl. Korra appeared, with Meelo still clinging onto her back, aboard a flying bison heading up from below. Raising her arms, she shifted the water up and around to see where the girl had gone. Ikki's glider had become soaked as well, so it was useless to try to get it to work. She fell a few yards down, but used her air scooter to shoot back up the side of the cliff and cart-wheeled over to safety. She landed on her foot and knee inches away from the edge. She peered over the edge as Korra landed the bison behind her. Ikki stood up, drenched from head to toe, and tried to air bend herself dry. It only ruined her hair and made her clothes wrinkled. She stood with a poor stance, defeated.

"Haha! That's what you get for messing with the avatar!" Korra playfully remarked as Meelo finally released his grip on Korra's back and jumped down and skipped towards Ikki.

"You look funny!" The small boy laughed at his sister.

Ikki angrily pointed at him, "You were supposed to keep her away!" She yelled. Meelo ran as Ikki began yet another incredible chase.

Korra watched them both leave with her arms crossed and a wide smile across her face. Tenzin walked up from behind her and noticed her sudden change of feeling.

"Korra? You look a lot better today." He smiled.

"Well, I _feel_ a lot better." She sighed and stretched her arms. Her eyes widened as a pain shot through her back. She quickly leaned forward and placed a hand on the right side of her back, "Aghh! Uhh, emotionally, that is." she half laughed back.

"You should get some more rest," he insisted.

"I've spent months resting," she inquired without looking at him.

"You... Think you're ready to begin again?" he asked, puzzled by her response.

"I don't know," she sighed, "I just... I feel like I'm not doing what I need to."

"Korra, it's okay to heal at your own time," he reasoned.

"I have been taking my time and nothing is happening. I should just get back to being the avatar." She turned to walk away.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to," He continued.

"But I _do_ have to, whether I like it or not. And it's not making the world any better if I don't. I don't know if I'm ready or not, but I want to finish my air bending training so I can go back out there and do what I need to do," she finished.

"Are you certain that is what you want to do? Because if you're not we-"

"Tenzin!" she yelled, cutting him off, "I'm sure," she replied softly.

"Well then," he said after briefly thinking it over, "shall we begin again?" he turned to lead her to the air pillars used for training.

"I think we shall," she smiled, following him.

* * *

The building was coming down fast. It was only a matter of time before it and everything in it hit the ground. All around it was a giant spirit's very many limbs tightening its grip. Chief Beifong had many officers stationed on top of surrounding buildings, as well as in an airship hovering above the scene. The officers used metal chords to hold the building up as long as possible as several other officers, including the police chief herself, ran inside to escort everyone to safety. Lin stayed behind every person to make sure they all got out safe. As the people ran for their lives, the building gave in and quickly crumbled to rocks. Once the dirt and dust cleared, the people stood around the building's remains. A noise was heard as Lin earth bent the pile of rocks that landed on her outward. She stood up and began to walk away from the rubble unharmed. Approaching the residents of the collapsed building, she loudly called out to them.

"Is everyone alright? No one is missing? Injured? Dead?" She bluntly shouted. The people in the crowd all shook their heads and mumbled to each other. The chief of police stressfully sighed to herself as she made her way back to the station.

Once there, she sloped into a chair seated next to a radio transmitter. She leaned forward and fiddled with a few buttons until she found who she wanted to talk to.

"Hello?" She asked into the microphone, "This is Chief Beifong of Republic City. To whom am I speaking to?"

"Oh stop it, Lin. You don't have to be so head on. You're talking to me." A calm and collected voice could be heard through the speaker.

"Su? What's the status?" Lin asked.

"Still no word on any other members of the Red Lotus. We've had rumors called in, but none were proven to be true. We're doing everything we can, Lin." Su Yin reported.

After Zaheer was placed in a heavily guarded prison, the Metal Clan was in charge of hunting down the remaining members of the Red Lotus. Su was the head of the search. She had been searching for months, but was only able to find two or three, and that was only because they were grouped together and made themselves known to the public. The work fatigued her. To her, it was a wild goose chase. She knew she was never going to find every last member in the world, but she did promise her sister, and the avatar, that she would not stop searching. The thing is that she wasn't giving it her all. She and her officers would look for a little for a bit, then return home empty handed. She just had to keep giving her sister a different answer each time she had to report her findings.

"This is ridiculous! How have we not found any yet?!" Lin shouted angrily on her end. She placed her fingers on her temples and leaned against the table.

"Lin, we are searching the world here. Finding every last member isn't going to be an easy task. " Su reasoned with her stressed out sister. "However, we did find something else.

Lin looked up from her hands at the radio as if she were looking at her sister's actual face. "What?" She asked interested.

"I was speaking with Fire Lord Zuko about and findings in the Fire Nation, and he told me that there were reports of airbenders. Tenzin only searched the Earth Kingdom, right? It may not be what we were looking for, but it is something."

Lin was quiet. _'How could they not think to look for new airbenders in the Fire Nation,_' she thought to herself. "Thank you, Su. I will notify Tenzin at once," she finally spoke.

"_I will notify Tenzin at once_," Su mimicked in a weird, stern voice. "You sound like a drill sergeant!" She laughed.

Lin rolled her eyes and switched the radio to communicate with the Southern Air Temple to try to get in touch with Tenzin.  
"This is Chief Beifong of Republic City. To whom am I speaking to?" She spoke into the microphone once again.

There was a moment of silence, that Tenpin's voice suddenly broke. "Lin? Is that you? Why are you shouting? You sound like a drill sergeant."

Lin frowned. "How are things going with Korra?" She asked.

"It's going great!" he said, "She is beginning to air bend again and train with the rest of the students. And she's feeling a lot better. She's made such an improvement."

"Great, great," she mumbled uninterested in Korra's advancements. "The reason I called was to inform you that there were reports of airbenders in the Fire Nation."

Tenzin was taken back, both shocked and happy to hear of even more airbenders. "What?" he asked, "That's wonderful! I'll bring a few people to help look for them!" Tenzin was clearly excited about the news. "Of course I'll have to leave Korra here so she can continue healing, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Good luck," Lin said, ending the conversation.

Tenzin turned the radio off and headed outside to gather a group. The majority of the temple's current inhabitants were already present outside the temple doors, including Korra and Tenzin's family.

Noticing Tenzin's unusual bliss, Korra asked, "What's going on?"

"Lin just told me there were airbenders showing up in the Fire Nation." He replied. Excited gasps were heard as everyone suddenly became more lively.

"What? That's great! When do we go?" Korra asked joyfully.

"_We,"_ Tenzin gestured to himself, "leave tomorrow. _You,"_ he gestured to Korra, "are staying here to maintain the airbenders _and defend them if needed_." He said the last part quickly and quietly.

"What?! That's not fair!" Korra shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry, Korra, but you're in no shape to travel." Tenzin said calmly.

"I'm perfectly fine to travel!" She huffed.

"I said no, Korra. I'm bringing Jinora, Ikki, Kai, and Bumi, and a few others from this temple. No one else." Tenzin stated firmly, too used to putting up with Korra's fits. "There's a limited amount of space on my bison."

"What? Why do _they_ get to go? They're kids!" Korra argued pointing at Tenzin's daughters and Kai.

"Not all of us!" Bumi playfully inquired, then looked down at himself, "Well, physically that is." Korra sighed slumping over as Ikki began jumping up and down clapping her hands excitedly.

"Yay! I get to go with everyone on an adventure!" she chirped happily next to her father.

"Only if you stay with me and not run off." Tenzin nodded to her as he turned to get supplies ready for the venture. Kai and Jinora walked away to get their stuff ready as well.

"Cool." Kai noted to Jinora as the two headed inside, "I've never been to the Fire Nation. I wonder what it's like!"

"I heard Fire Lord Zuko rediscovered a new breed of dragons, kind of like the way my grandfather rediscovered the flying bison and monkey lemurs." Jinora replied.

Korra stood with her back turned and arms folded.

"Cheer up, sport! We'll only be gone for about a week. I bet you won't be missing anything. Well, except for the scenery of course, and the culture, and the people, and the-"

"Okay I get it!" Korra cut him off.

* * *

Inside the temple, Tenzin finished packing for the trip. It was night outside, so Tenzin knew he needed to get some rest. But before he left the room, he walked over to a table with a picture framed and neatly positioned in a circle of beads with the symbol of the Air Nomads. Tenzin lifted the picture and gently smiled at his father's face, imagining how proud of him he would be.

"Dear? Are you still in there? Come to bed. It's late." Pema called from the room across from the one he was in. Tenzin turned at the sound of his wife's voice.

"Coming!" he replied. He turned back to the picture looking at it once more. He gently placed it back down in the beaded necklace and shut the door behind him.


	2. Discoveries

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy. I will update whenever possible.**

**Rated M to be safe.**

**LoK doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

The fire roared out of control as many unsuspecting Fire Nation civilians tried to flee. The entire building was engulfed in flames and escape was nearly impossible. Many people, including families, were trapped inside, and there wasn't a single fire bender in sight to forge a way through. People were screaming, fighting for a way out of the flames, but every step spelled doom. As the walls and ceiling caved in, less and less people were visible, and the smoke was both blinding and suffocating those that were left.

Outside on a rooftop hidden in the darkness of night, a man with long, black hair, golden eyes, and draped in dark red robes watched passively as his fire ate the building alive. He waited for several moments until he heard sirens in the distance, acting as his cue to make a run for it. With little effort, he made a single leap and landed in front of the burning building. He sparked a trail of gun powder he laid on the ground prior to setting the building on fire. The flames from the arson was supposed to light the gunpowder, but as the sirens grew closer, the man didn't have time to wait. He tapped the ground from a safe distance, igniting a chain reaction, then fled into the night as patrol vehicles and a ton of water benders finally arrived.

The following morning, nothing was left of the building. Piles of ash, broken wood, and personal property lay scattered across the lot. The victims were all among the prevalent ashes.

As police got to work around the area, a cameraman stood from a distance to get a clear shot of the scene. In one picture, there was the charred remains of a building. The other was a picture of an intricate black flower perfectly burned into the ground in front of the building and away from the actual fire. It was easier to see the design on a higher level from surrounding buildings. There had been several other instances where heavily populated places were burned down, flooded out or frozen, or simply caved inward and destroyed, all with the same symbol left at the scene. The symbol was an adoption of the Red Lotus, and it didn't stop there. After the Earth Queen was killed and the people over threw the government in Ba Sing Se, world wide panic grew as cities from all over the globe began seeing this large symbol vandalizing both public and private property and whenever people were executed in mass numbers like this instance. It was the people's way of speaking to their government, to the world, that chaos is inevitable, and it was working. More and more people were committing to this heinous organization as a rebellion against the government. It was hard say that Zaheer didn't do a good job.

The photograph was placed on the cover of the newspaper. The people were warned to take extra precautions and to report any suspicious activity to authorities immediately.

* * *

Tenzin landed his large bison in the front of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. He had arranged a meeting with Fire Lord Zuko via radio prior to leaving the Southern Air Temple. They, along with Zuko's only daughter, would discuss the matter at hand regarding the new airbenders. Tenzin couldn't be more excited. The small ensemble of airbenders were greeted by a palace official as the final few nomads were exiting the bison's saddle.

"Greetings, travelers! Welcome to the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Their majesties are waiting for you inside. Please, follow me." The greeter bowed in respect and led Tenzin and his disciples towards large, what appeared to be golden, palace doors. Red drapes and yellow veils flooded the walls and every guard had armor resembling fire. Everything in the palace was themed after their respected element. Tenzin and his crew were led down a long, heavily guarded hallway to a pair of double doors that were golden in color. Two guards stepped to the side to open the large doors simultaneously for the guests of honor. The room inside had a long table usually used for meetings with generals and world leaders.

"Your highnesses, Master Tenzin is here." The guide bowed his head to the Fire Lords, and stepped to the side.

"Ahh, yes. I was hoping you would arrive soon. How is everything, old friend?" Zuko greeted his friend with a smile as his daughter looked up from papers she had scatted on the table. She didn't look as cheerful as the two older men.

"Everything is wonderful, your highness." Tenzin replied back, happy to see his father's long time friend. It brought back so many memories with his parents as a child to see the people his father was closest to. It filled a lingering void left from his father's passing. The death of his uncle had a great effect on him to. His mother never talked about anyone from her younger life anymore. Tenzin knew she had similar feelings whenever the subject was brought up, only hers were far worse after spending a lifetime with them. Thought the void would never be filled by just a conversation. Tenzin is doing his absolute best to take care of all the new airbenders, at any or all costs.

"Good to hear! And how is Korra doing?" The aged Fire Lord recalled his last encounter with the avatar. She was still weak from her battle with Zaheer, bound to a wheel chair for weeks that slowly made its way into months. Zuko was beyond surprised she even won the fight, let alone survived it. He knew the answer to his question before Tenzin even answered it. She was unusually strong for such young avatar. Even Aang had limits. Of course neither one would have been able to make any difference in their world without the help of their friends and allies. Surely that's one thing the two have in common.

"She is doing a lot better now. She has begun training with the other airbenders once again." Tenzin was cheerful about the matter. "Speaking of airbenders, I would really love to go ahead and meet them, if you please."

Zuko and his successor exchanged concerned glances. Neither one of them knew the best words for the situation. Knowing Tenzin was not going to take the news well, they were quiet, and without reason to be. Tenzin deserves to know the truth, but the Fire Lords in front of him were both in silence.

"What?" Tenzin asked, noticing their displeasing looks. He began to feel an uneasy tension inside him. He didn't like the sorrow they were expressing and began to feel worried.

The father and daughter both looked full of grief. The current Fire Lord turned back her papers, not exactly back to what she was doing, and sat in silence. She did, however, notice the children in the small crowd and felt guilt rising within her. Zuko stepped towards the master airbender. "I think maybe you should sit down." Zuko quietly requested, directing towards a chair at the long conference table.

"And perhaps we can talk in private" The Fire Lord said referring to the group Tenzin had brought with him. Tenzin looked at Jinora and nodded. Jinora nodded in return and allowed the guide standing next to the door to lead them all back to the bison, where they can either wait or have lunch. She was used to being in charge of a situation or group. Ever since she got her arrows, she'd been placed with a lot more responsibility. There were, after all, only two airbending masters in the world. When the door shut behind them, Tenzin turned back to the Fire Lord and Zuko, who already took a seat next to his daughter. Tenzin stepped up to a chair and sat next to the royals, extremely nervous now.

"Is... everything alright?" Tenzin wasn't sure what to make of this situation. He expected something far more delightful than what was being displayed here.

Zuko closed his eyes and sighed to himself, unable to find the words he needed. "The airbenders we reported," Zuko's daughter spoke for him, "are gone." She tried to be clear and up front about the matter, but even her words died as soon as they were spoken.

Tenzin was confused. At first he began to question the Earth Queen and her intentions of the airbenders, but surely that was completely irrelevant at the moment. He thought for a moment, dismissing any involvement of the queen's abhorrent plan. "What? What do you mean gone? Was the reports not true? What happened?" Panic started to rise in his voice and in his mind as he sat forward in his chair. He couldn't understand what could have happened to them. He was so excited about meeting them, now he was completely perturbed to find they're suddenly not here anymore.

"No no. They _were_ true," Zuko reassured him, "However, there was an incident last night involving the only airbenders that we have found." Zuko looked at his daughter, who placed a handful of papers in front of Tenzin.

"The only three airbenders that have been discovered in the Fire Nation so far... was in this apartment complex." The woman stated grimly, pointing the picture of the charred remains that was once a beautiful building structure.

Tenzin read over the article about the house fire that had just happened the night before. As he read, his eyes went from confusion to complete shock and horror as he realized the new airbenders were all dead. Both his stomach and his jaw dropped as his face went sickly pale. Then an even harder realization hit him; He remembered his father telling him about the extermination of all the airbenders through the use of fire. Something about the new airbenders burning alive struck him with both dread and intimidation. He sat with his mouth unintentionally agape as the Fire Lord placed another paper in front of the daunted monk. This one was a picture of the flower, the new symbol the world adopted as the logo for world chaos (a horrible pun for world peace). It was being used everywhere as people commit crimes, though it was only used when the people wanted the government to see it, not for petty crimes or gang related occurrences.

"This photograph was taken at the scene of the fire. To be quite honest, photographs like this one are being taken from all over the world." Zuko handed him even more pictures of different crime scenes, all with the same signature symbol. Tenzin looked at the photographs completely dumbstruck. His mind couldn't process then. He didn't know what to say, how to react. He felt completely sick in his stomach. He didn't want to believe anything he was seeing or hearing. He even began to feel heat swelling in his eyes. He was near shaking in his seat.

"These crimes began after the Earth Queen was assassinated. We believe that the people committing these crimes are a part of a rebellious society, a network of people acting for the same cause." Zuko's daughter stated, not wanting to sugar-coat it at all. She knew what needed to be said, and at that moment, she wasn't going to let any of it go unheard.

"I don't believe it..." Tenzin whispered. It was all he managed to bring himself to say, though it wasn't exactly what he wanted to say. He was drawing a complete blank. The papers in his fingers shook while he looked back over them.

"We think... Zaheer got his message out," Zuko said after some time, "and that people everywhere are rebelling against their own government by executing innocent people."

_'Maybe I really should have brought Korra along..._' Tenzin finally thought to himself. _'And if this is happening everywhere, why hasn't Lin's sister found anything yet?'_ He was amazed at how much Su missed though she had been 'searching' for Red Lotus members of months now. Tenzin made a mental note to alert Lin whenever he got the chance. Oh, how she would react to all this.

Thinking of Lin, "This hasn't happened in Republic City..." Tenzin trailed off, still unsure of what to say at the moment. At least he _hoped_ it hasn't happened in Republic City. Lin definitely would have said something to him and Korra if it had, no doubt about it.

"We're worried about the rest of the world. These revolting crimes must be rearing its way into unimaginable chaos, and all we can do tell everyone to be safe. We don't know who is a part of this or what they plan to do. We don't know what's going to happen next or even who is next. We always have a reason to suspect our neighbor, when it could really be our friend. We don't know anything! I don't know what to do..." The stressed woman placed her temples in her hands. Making arrests isn't exactly an option. There really was no way of knowing who is a part of the Red Lotus now. Everybody always has something to say, yet now anybody with a voicecan be seen as a treat. Which just meant that everybody is a suspect. But it wasn't like the people had the courage to walk up and assassinate their leader. Only Zaheer's group was strong enough, and it was only because none of them had a life to return to. However, the thought dawned on her that one of the metal clan's closest official turned out to be a conspirator of the Red Lotus. That thought alone put more thoughts in the Fire Lord's head. She looked up from her hands to view her own guards. This action was noticed by her father, who was just as in deep thought as she was.

"What is it, dear?" He asked low in tone.

She was silent at first, but then quietly spoke, "I was thing of the Metal Clan's truth seeker... and his actions." Zuko didn't need an explanation, and neither did Tenzin. They knew as well as Toph's daughter did that Aiwei was a traitor with his dealings with the Red Lotus. They understood that she meant she had become wary of her 'loyal' servants, an understandable action at best.

"I understand." Zuko rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He then turned to Tenzin. "There is something... I want to ask of you, old friend." Zuko seemed hesitant.

Tenzin wasn't sure what his request could possible be, but at that moment he was afraid it had anything to do with what was just discussed. "What do you need, your highness?"

* * *

Kai was resting on Oogie's saddle with his hands under his head watching the sky more bored than amused with the clouds consistent movements. Opal, who had come along with the group, was also in the saddle sketching the fire themed buildings to help pass the time. However, she couldn't say she wasn't also bored with the trip. Surely everyone expected it to be way better. And to everyone's displeasure, they have a hyperactive 8 year old talking the time away. Migraines were beginning to boil as it had been at least half an hour ago they left Tenzin alone to speak with the Fire Lords.

"...When's Daddy coming back?" Ikki eventually directed her pointless conversations to Jinora. "It's been forever. Can't we go do something fun while we wait? I don't want to just stand here in the sun. I'm bored!" It amazed the young master airbender how much the little girl can talk, even more how fast.

"No. We need to wait for Dad to come back so we can find the new airbenders. That's the reason we came here. Remember?" Jinora spoke calmly to her sister, knowing she was planning on arguing back.

"But Daddy said airbenders were supposed to be knowledgeable about the different cultures of the world! I think it would be wrong of us to not go explore and meet new people and eat new foods and try new things!" Ikki always wore a smile when she talked like this. However, Jinora was surprised at how much sense the little girl made, but that didn't change the rules their father set for them. She was about to shoot the idea down again, until her uncle interjected before she could.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea! I know I'd rather go explore than sit here for hours waiting for Tenzin to finish up in there." Bumi had gotten the attention of the the other airbenders sitting up from their bored expression.

"But Dad expects up to wait for him here." Jinora attempted to reason with him, but Kai had already jumped down to confront her.

"We've been sitting here for almost an hour. Everyone is restless and bored. I really think we could all go for lunch. And besides, it probably won't take as long as your Dad is." Kai crossed his arms and added that last part jokingly.

Jinora thought it over for a moment and sighed. "You guys know not to go anywhere too far-" Before she finished her sentence, a gust of wind blew over her as every airbender rushed into the sky happily with their gliders. All that was left now was Jinora, Kai, Ikki, and Bumi. Ikki giggled in her sister's direction.

"You should come, too. Leave a note for Tenzin or something." Kai smiled as he tried to get Jinora to tag along.

"No, I'm gonna wait here in case Dad come back." She leaped back onto Oogie and sat against the side of the saddle. Kai unfolded his glider.

"Alright, then." He said with a hint of sadness.

"We'll bring you something back!" Bumi called as he and Ikki took to the skies. Jinora and Kai both watched them go.

"You sure you don't want to go?" He asked once more.

"I'm sure." She smiled down at him, making him turn his head away nervously. He scratched the back of his head smiling at the ground and Jinora swears she saw him blushing. Their moment was short lived when they heard a loud, angry voice behind Oogie. They turned to see Tenzin more scared than angry that everyone was gone.

"Jinora! Where is everyone?!" He yelled as he quickly approached the bison. When he stepped out of the palace, his stomach churned when he noticed everyone's absence. Jinora was supposed to be in charge while he was gone, yet he found her alone with her 'boyfriend' while everyone else was who knows where.

Jinora, oddly enough, felt afraid. She knew she was in trouble. "Dad! I... uh..." She looked around hoping to find an answer she could give, but found nothing but herself and Kai.

"I gave you a simple task-" Tezin began to yell again, but was cut off by Kai after he noticed the pained, guilty look on the girl's face.

"Master Tenzin, it was my fault. I asked if we could all just go out and get some lunch since there was nothing else to do. That's where everybody is right now." Kai admitted.

Tenzin was no stranger to the boy's antics, or to his feelings for his daughter. For that reason, Tenzin made it a habit to disagree with him at every turn. He knew what Kai was always willing to do for his daughter, and lying was definitely one of them. Therefore, Tenzin had, in his mind, every right to not believe a word the young klepto said.

"Just go make sure everyone knows to meet back here in one hour!" He said in a huff. Jinora hopped down and prepped her glider to fly after the people who just left. Kai remained by her side.

"Sorry," was all he managed to whisper to the heart broken girl. Her father had never yelled at her the way did now, and it was clear Kai wasn't expecting it either. They stood grounded as they watched Tenzin fly off on his bison. The young benders exchanged solemn glances, and flew off to find the rest of the group.

* * *

Tenzin was flying rather vigorously, even for him. He was scared and upset, intimidated and disturbed, and he was trying as hard as he could to not let it show. But as he was flying, he couldn't help but notice the scene of last night's fire. It had squad cars, police tape, and a crowd of people all surrounding the remains. From the sky, he was able to see the flower more clearly for himself. He allowed himself to veer away from his current quest and landed his bison near the burnt building. As he stepped towards the police tape, he looked within the walls of the structure. At once, his mind forced him to imagine what took place the night before, all the people, so much fire, and absolutely no time left. When he thought of the airbenders inside, though, he unintentionally thought of his own family, which shook him out of his daze enough to turn back to Oogie, waiting patiently some distance behind him. He thought of why Jinora couldn't do that.

Well, he knows Jinora and she has only so much control over a situation. She is a child after all. It probably wasn't her fault everyone took off without her, and Kai _would_ be the only one to stay with her. Tenzin started to feel guilty for loosing his temper, but after all that he just learned, he wanted nothing else but to be sure everyone is safe. He boarded the bison again, "Yip yip!" He called out, leaving the scene once and for all.

Tenzin finally arrived to his destination, the place Fire Lord Zuko requested him to pay a visit to. At this moment in time, it's hard to know who you could trust and who was secretly plotting your assassination, who was smiling and shaking your hand all the while hiding their pernicious plans behind a mask. There was a lot of people in the Fire Nation fully capable of starting a fire, or simply using one to commit murder, but the arson that took place was the doing of an extremely skilled fire bender. In no scenario could a fire that substantial take place unless it abruptly happened at once. Unfortunately, there were many, many skilled fire benders in these lands, but one among them always seems to catch the eye of the Fire Lord.

This was the home of a fire bender who had long before earned the title of master, and Tenzin was well aware of his history. The monk can admit he did have a history with this man in particular, avoiding him when ever possible. Tenzin disliked him; he was a very imprudent, vengeful man who takes his position as a master fire bender for granted. He was little to no help at all when someone needed him and his fire bending abilities. In all honesty, Tenzin believes he shouldn't be able to be called a master. However, the easily irritated monk knew his opinion didn't matter when people saw how skilled Master Marui really was with fire. People will always be impressed with his bending ability, no doubt to Tenzin. After all, it was just his personality Tenzin hated, and no one can really help that.

Despite all the skill, Tenzin would always be the first to agree, Marui is a shady, mischievous person who, without a doubt in his mind, was guilty of everything, if not anything. Unfortunately, evidence was always needed, and was always something Tenzin never possessed in the past. In the end, Tenzin eventually gave up trying to get him for things he couldn't prove, and instead took to completely avoiding him. Now was no different than it was then, only Fire Lord Zuko suggested his suspicions this time, and Tenzin promptly agreed.

After nearly two decades, Tenzin found himself once again walking up the path to this secluded residence to accuse the same man he had before. He chose his tactics a little differently this time. He planned to pretend that he was interested in making amends for years of 'false accusations' and get him slip up about what he had been up to recently. In Tenzin's mind, that was a stupid idea, but it wasn't like Marui was going to just invite him in and immediately act like the two were long friends, like the past suddenly didn't exist.

Tenzin stepped up to the front door and began knocking. Waiting patiently, Tenzin looked around the yard. _'Nothing changed here,_' he thought to himself. After about a minute of nothing, Tenzin knocked louder. Still nothing, not even sounds. He sighed looking at the drive way, realizing Marui wasn't home.

* * *

"Oh! Oh! Uncle Bumi! Can we _please_ go there after we're done in here?" Ikki was practically jumping in her seat while the two sat at a diner. She was pointing to a rather large building meant for shopping. Though they didn't have any money, Bumi thought the idea of looking wouldn't hurt.

"Sure. We can look around for a bit. But you have to stay near me." He cautioned the young girl, who made a face.

"You're starting to sound like Daddy," she pointed out, annoyed with his rule.

"Whoa, who's acting like Daddy?" Bumi placed his chop sticks in his nose and made a funny face sending Ikki into a fit of giggles. As they laughed, a

waitress made an angry and disgusted face at Bumi, causing him to straighten up and remove the chop sticks with an innocent smile. "Let's be quick! Don't want to be late when mister bossy gets done with his meeting." He whispered to his young niece, who smiled in return.

The two skipped over to the mall, content with just looking at the things the Fire Nation had to offer. Once inside, they looked around in awe at all the beautiful clothes stores, food courts, and interior design. Fire was a thing of beauty in the minds of the people here. Everything glowed with the themed element, and the actual fire there was kept in the safest places to act as the 'perfect touch' for the lively display. To their surprise, the mall had a lot more customers than the busy streets outside did, which to them meant more people to aggravate.

* * *

Jinora and Kai had been on their punishment search since Tenzin left, and it wasn't as easy as the older monk made it out to be. In all, there was a total of nine airbenders on the trip. Tenzin, Jinora, and Kai were all excluded from the count the young girl made, which meant she was looking for six individual people in the largely populated city. To her advantage, they were all wearing the same traditional airbender clothing, which to her stood out in a crowd of up to date Fire Nation civilians. However, she and Kai were only able to find three, which meant they were now looking for Opal, Bumi, and Ikki. Of course Jinora also had to take account how much time she took to find them all, subtracting it from how much time she had left to find them in the total amount of time her father wanted them all back. She was clearly stressed out from the looks of it, but luckily she had Kai there to help her. The two had separated earlier to cover more ground.

Kai was hovering over the buildings, scouting for any signs of the airbenders. He managed to find two while Jinora only found one. They had three more, and dusk was slowly approaching. Rain clouds were drawing in, so it was getting darker quicker. Just as Kai was about to head in the other direction, he noticed Opal receiving a bowl of desserts from a shop. Kai grinned as he knew Jinora was sure to lose, as this made three for him, unless she somehow managed to find Bumi and Ikki first and end it with a tie, which the two should be together. There's no way Bumi would let a little girl roam the streets alone.

Kai landed and walked towards Opal tasting her treat. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Huwwoh," she tried to say with her cheeks full.

"Hey, Tenzin was really upset everyone left, and we all need to head back as soon as possible." he informed her. Her happiness faded as she thought they were all in trouble.

She swallowed and spoke worriedly, "Oh no. Are we in trouble?"

"No. He's just upset that we didn't wait for him. You wouldn't happen to know where Bumi and Ikki are, do you?" He tried his luck to find the two first.

"Actually, they went to the diner down the street, but then left for the mall not far from it." Opal replied pointing him in the direction she saw them in. "I'm going to finish my snack first and then go back, if that's alright." The last thing she wanted was to be in trouble with Tenzin.

"Oh that's fine," he said with a grin, knowing Jinora was far in the opposite direction, "I need to go find the other two."

"Okay," she nodded and returned to her bowl.

Kai sauntered off in the direction Opal lead him in. Sure enough there was a mall that was unmistakable. He walked inside to find his punishment was not over yet, as there seemed to be more people inside than there was out in the open. Enervated, he began to walk around in search of the pair. He was quickly losing sight of hope, until he happened to glance in the direction of a grown man looking through the window at a woman's boutique, admiring the dresses. From the traditional clothes, Kai knew that it was Bumi, but he didn't see Ikki with him, which switched his mood to serious. He quickly made his way over to Bumi, taking him by surprise.

"Where's Ikki?" He asked sternly. Bumi turned to find Kai standing with his arms crossed and face hardened.

"Don't get your undies in a bunch! Shes over there at the toy store." Bumi simply replied, gesturing to an area across the crowd.

"Without you? What if something happened to her?" Kai argued.

"She's a strong girl! She knows how to take care of herself!" Bumi defended.

"She's eight!" Kai threw his arms and didn't wait for him to answer back. He left for the toy store to look for her. When he entered, the first thing he noticed was that it was practically empty compared to the hectic crowd just outside the door. There were a few parents there shopping for their kids, but only one actual child was in the room, and it wasn't Ikki. After scouting the entire store, he went back to Bumi.

"She isn't there!" He yelled at him.

"Well, that attitude isn't going to find her!" Bumi replied. Kai felt as though he was talking to an uncomplrehenssive child. Together, the two went in search of within the rest of the mall for the small child.

* * *

Tenzin landed his bison where he had the first time. Without moving he turned to Jinora, who had given up her search when she saw that time her father gave had run out.

"Where's Kai, Ikki, and Bumi? It's almost dark out." He stated, not letting up on the earlier affairs.

"Um..." She started, "Kai and I split up to look for everyone, but he didn't come back." She was talking nervously and fidgeting with her fingers. Fortunately, someone among them did know where the missing three were.

"I told Kai I saw Ikki and Bumi go to the mall not far from here." Opal confessed.

"Can you show me where?" Tenzin was ready to leave this place, but he still had to report back to Fire Lord Zuko his findings, or what he didn't find.

"Yes," Opal agreed and everyone climbed onto Oogie. They headed in the direction of the mall, this time staying together as a group.

Jinora nervously spoke up. "Wait, I thought you left to find the airbenders. Where are they?" She was confused. She thought the reason he left while she searched for the others was so that he could greet and recruit the new benders, but there was no one. She wondered if they disagreed with him and rejected the idea like most of the Earth Kingdom airbenders did when they first meet them.

That question made Tenzin's stomach turn. He breathed deeply at the decision that he wouldn't tell her the truth. "They aren't coming with us. They... chose to stay." The part Tenzin hated the most was the the decision to stay wasn't theirs. Someone else made that choice for them, and while they chose how to react to it, there was only one possible outcome.

"Oh," she said sadly, thinking back to how many times their offer had been rejected in the past.

"Right there, Master Tenzin!" Opal called out pointing below them. The place was just as beautiful from above as it was from within.

* * *

Ikki was walking around as lost as possible. She wasn't scared though. Honestly, it's what she wanted. As long as she was lost, she had no reason to abide by anyone's rules. She also had an excuse not to. Being lost meant there was no way she could come back on her own, because she was unable to. Sure, she knew eventually they were going to come look for her, but until then she was free to do what ever she wanted. She walked into a large furniture store that seemed almost completely empty. There was only one other person there, who approached the young girl as she walked deeper within the store.

A tall, golden eyed man with long black hair stopped her as she was merely walking through the store touching all the 'DO NOT TOUCH' signs. "Hello, little girl. Are you lost?" Ikki was quiet, since her parents always told her not to talk to strangers. She simply nodded a little, not changing her blank facial expression. "Oh," the man said, kneeling down to her. He gave a small smile and spoke, "I am, too, actually. I'm not sure how in the world I got here." He said looking around the room. Ikki was beyond confused, but listened anyway. She thought _'Maybe all this man needs is someone to talk to_.' He looked back to her and spoke in a lower volume. "You shouldn't run off from your parents, little girl. The world is a dangerous place, full of dangerous things," he leaned in, "and dangerous people... But it's okay this time because you found me" He smiled, standing back up. "What's your name?" he asked a lot kinder than before.

She was hesitant to speak to the man, but found it in her will to answer. "Ikki," she said more quite than she usually is. Finding the bravery to return the gesture, she innocently asked, "What's _your_ name?"

"You may call me Marui."


	3. Pedals in the Wind

**A/N: Alright, I know I have not updated in a long time, and if anyone is still reading this, I know book 4 is different. I began writing this fanfic before I knew about book 4, so that kinda messed up everything. Now I have to say that this is an alternate universe fanfiction, set back right after book 3, and it is my version of what book 4 could have been. ****Or what I think should have been.**** Anyways, I'm sorry for not updating, I'll try to get better with that. **

**Thanks for reading! And sorry this chapter is kinda short. Please review. **

**LoK isn't mine.**

* * *

Tenzin was never one to kill anything, human or animal, but when Bumi and Kai showed up at the front of the busy complex without his daughter, he nearly strangled the two at the same time.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE IS?!" Tenzin practically had them both by their collars, an action Jinora was noticing. She wasn't sure of what to make of her father's sudden temper, but she knew his odd behavior must have something to do with the meeting with the Fire Lords.

_'Something isn't right. Dad has never been this angry before_.' She did worry about him, as daughters did for their fathers, but she didn't want to bring it up while he was acting this way. At least not now, anyway.

"You can yell all you want, but this one is not on me," Kai defended himself, still upset about the earlier predicament between him and Bumi. Tenzin was about to force a list of insults at the boy, who had already heard them all a thousand times, until a little voice rang beside him.

"Daddy!" Ikki ran up to her father. Tenzin dropped the two collars in his fists to pull her into a hug.

"Ikki! I was so worried about you!" He released her and noticed she was carrying a blue stuffed bear with long arms and button eyes. _'Where in the world did that thing come from?_' he thought to himself how weird it looked. "What is that?" He decided to ask about it, since he had never seen it before.

"Oh, Pudding-cake?" She referred to the bear in her arms, "The man from the couch store said I could pick a toy from over there while we waited for you or Uncle Bumi to come back. The toy store was the last place I saw Uncle Bumi." Tenzin sighed a breath of relief, but when he looked around for the man she was talking about, he saw no one but them and a crowd of people. The thought of a stranger taking care of his daughter unnerved him. He was looking at hundreds of faces and, after the talk he had with the Fire Lords, he didn't trust any of them. However discomforted he was, he knew that the Fire Nation wasn't safe right now and that he should focus more on getting his family, old and new, back home where he could protect them. He was planing on sending Korra out once he removed the airbenders from the situation. On that note, he decided it was best not to ask anymore questions and leave at once.

"Well, I'm thankful to him for keeping you safe," he lied. As much as wanted to interrogate the breath out of the man, he wanted more just to leave. "Now, lets go back to the palace for a few minutes and then we can all go home." He announced holding Ikki's hand heading for the exit.

"Not even a 'goodbye'?" A low voice casually asked out of view.

Tenzin looked over towards the direction of the voice. In an instant, _'It can't be..._', his breath was caught in his throat, _'Tell me he didn't...,_' his heartbeat expedited, _'I'm going to kill him..._', and his thoughts were racing. The sickness in his stomach from earlier suddenly didn't feel so bad.

"Not even a 'hello'?" Marui once again acted offended, but was quickly cut from seriousness.

"Oh! Oh! Hello again!" Ikki waved bouncing with her bear. This action shocked Tenzin, confirming his fears.

"And hello to you, too, dear." He gave a small wave back. Marui was trying his best to show Tenzin his kindness. After 20 years of their rivalry, he wanted to prove Tenzin wrong, that he did deserve respect as a master of his element, just like Tenzin. After all, Marui has had plenty of time to think his life over, and without Tenzin constantly accusing him of foul play, Marui was able to establish a deeper understanding of himself. All the years of meditating, contemplating, and ruminating... suddenly meant nothing at all while looking at the tall, bald man standing in front of him now. Tenzin's presence seemed to extirpate all pre-existing wisdom and self-conclusions, and replace them with so many memories Marui both admired and detested. Sure, they had a lot of run ins Marui laughed about. Tenzin's ridiculous antics appealed to his sense of humor, but the memories he greatly retented were the most execrable and unforgiving years he spent living with a badly damaged reputation all caused by the 'peaceful monk'. He spent most of his years with scrupled eyes always watching him, always doubting his capabilities when it came to being reliable. Because of that, Marui was never able to fully authenticate himself as a person or master, so his desire prove he had truly changed for the better was completely and immediately over powered by his avidity for vengeance.

Tenzin grabbed Ikki's hand and pulled her back out of Marui's view. "You stay away from my daughter!" He hissed angrily.

"What? I do something nice, and you treat me like I'm a killer?" The fire bender retorted sarcastically.

"Don't play games with me, Marui! You and I both know all _your_ tricks," That statement made Marui's fiendish grin turn into a spiteful glare. "And I'm not here to listen to anything you have to say for yourself. I'm here because I know what you did those airbenders."

Jinora looked at her father confused. _'I knew it..._' she thought to herself. 'I _knew there was something he wasn't telling us. But wait, if the new airbenders didn't chose to stay, what really happened to them?_' She kept her puzzled eyes on Tenzin, hoping he would explain the situation further.

Marui simply looked over to the airbenders behind Tenzin keeping his glare. They were a small crowd, but clearly stood out in the current setting. His concentration inadvertently made its way to Opal. _'It's not fair_.' He thought, noticing the nervousness steadily growing in her eyes. '_How did he ever manage to do this? He must think he's so special now that he's the leader of a brand new nation. I bet he thinks his father looks down on him full of pride and gratification. I bet he would do anything to keep them safe. I bet he'd be devastated if something were to happen to them..._' Marui smiled to himself, knowing the long-term effect it would have on Tenzin.

Tenzin stepped in front of Opal, breaking Marui's gaze. "You've had your fun, but now I'm putting an end to this." Tenzin said sternly, waving his hand to his side for emphasis.

Marui looked at him the same way he always had every time Tenzin would accuse him of yet another misdeed. "An end to what? Your constant harassment?" His voice was getting louder as he became more heated.

"Harassment?! _You're_ the one who set that building on fire, as well as all the buildings from before! _You're_ the criminal here, not me!" Tenzin shouted back, drawing the attention of a few bystanders.

"I am no criminal! You've ruined my entire life and now you've come to finish my name off for good! What did _I_ ever do to _you_?" He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "You think you're so perfect, so impeccable, simply because your father was the avatar. He must of been so disappointed you turned out so conceited." He smirked at Tenzin's facial response. "So much for the new generation of airbenders." He gestured to the group behind Tenzin.

Tenzin felt a wave of anger he couldn't even explain to himself. He knew deep down that everything this man said was a lie, but something about Aang actually being disappointed in him pained him introspectively, and hurt even worse in his heart. He turned to see the air bending group behind him, all looking at him with hurt and worried eyes. Then his eyes met Jinora's. There was so much hope in such young girl. He had in his view the only reassurance he needed at the moment. He turned back to Marui.

"I don't waste my time with lies." He turned to lead his group outside. "C'mon. We're going home."

Marui, determined to have his revenge, wasn't going to let Tenzin leave without a long-awaited fight. Seeing Tenzin's back turned, Marui thought it was the perfect time to strike. After all, it was either now or never. He assumed a fire bending stance to perform a dangerous technique, one that was sure to consume the entire shopping complex. With a swift and forceful movement, Marui blasted the walls and floor around Tenzin into a thick furnace closing off the exit. Tenzin and the airbenders were taken off guard as they tried to dodge a large piece of falling debris. As soon as the fight had started, they had all been separated. Tenzin coughed hard and tried to see his group through the blaze.

"Jinora! Bumi!" He cried. The only airbender he could see though was Ikki, who had been next to him the whole time cowering into his left leg. He looked back to Marui, who he assumed was going after the other airbenders. He needed to fight back. Thinking quickly, he rushed to the back of the toy store, far away from the fire. Guiding his young daughter to a corner, he knelt down beside her. "Ikki, you need to stay here and don't come out until I say it's safe. Understand?" He demanded, beginning to fear for the others. If he can stall Marui in a fight, then hopefully he could give everyone time to get to safety.

Tenzin ran back to the escalating fire noticing other firebenders fighting Marui. Tenzin remembered exactly how skilled a firebender Marui was compared to the not-so-great fire bending by-standers. From a safe distance, Tenzin could easily see why Marui was given the title "Master", though it made the situation that much more critical. Marui easily, and rather quickly, defeated the novice fire benders, causing more and more flames to ignite. This fire, it had already become a dangerous monster merely seconds after it began. Tenzin felt himself growing more afraid of the fire itself, but with will power alone he managed to push it back far enough to feel something else. With that, he ran back into the growing inferno determined to save the people inside.

When he caught up to them, however, this was a different case. The by-standers Marui had defeated lay unconscious on the ground. With the flames still roaring all around them, Tenzin didn't need to guess they were already dead. He looked around, hoping to see something to give him hope, but all he saw was empty bodies and bright red flames. It was then he brought his arm up in front of his face to shield his nose and mouth from the burning smoke. He continued further, hoping he would find where everyone ran off to. He stopped when he found Marui standing in a clearing, looking back at him with a devilish grin. Tenzin always knew deep down that this man was a killer, a monster that needed to be taken down. He closed his eyes tight. Tenzin's fear and determination was quickly replaced by anger and grief as he thought of all the airbenders that died the night before.

With an agile swing, Tenzin crouched down sliding his left leg out clock-wise in a full circle, airbending the ground in front of him. Marui jumped over the air, doing a front flip in the process. He was about to slam Tenzin with his ignited foot, when Tenzin dodged completely by doing a flip of his own. He shot forward onto his hands and thrust his feet over and kicked the air in Marui's direction, throwing Marui up and onto the burning ground. Tenzin then rotated his body in a way to perform another technique. Moving extremely quick, Tenzin was able to air bend Marui far behind him into what he knew was already a charred bone yard, hoping that his own flames would not only harm Marui, but also put him back far enough for Tenzin to find any survivors left in the fire.

Turning back, Tenzin could have swore he heard a bunch of people ahead. He saw where the people from the outside were making attempts to put out the fire with water. It did give him subtle reassurments that the airbenders found a way to safety. He, however, was still trapped in the spreading blaze. For now, finding a way out for himself was what he needed to focus on. His thoughts and worries were interrupted by a loud grunt from behind. Marui had returned in an attempt to retaliate everything he had against Tenzin since the very beginning. No matter what, Marui was determined to have his revenge before he left that fire. The two began to fight with their individual bending styles.

Nothing but anger filled Marui's eyes. Nothing but hatred fueled each movement. There was nothing he could think about other than to make Tenzin suffer as long as he did. He wanted to kill him right here in his fire, along with everything he loved and held dear. He had murdered the only airbenders in the Fire Nation, knowing Tenzin would come as soon as they were discovered. Yes, everything was as planned, but Tenzin would never allow anyone to bring harm to him or the people he cared about as long as he was right here to defend them. Fighting him like this was difficult. Tenzin had just as much anger as he did, but right now it almost seemed as though Tenzin would win even in Marui's element. Tenzin was angry, but it never blinded him the way it always did Marui, and Marui knew all of this.

Their fight was a violent one, but Tenzin ended up with the upper hand. Marui was exhausted and Tenzin even more so. With one final blast, Tenzin hit Marui back and caved the walls around him in, separating the two.

Their long and brutal fight had ended just as the people from the rescue team caught up to Tenzin. They began to pull him to where it was safe as the ceiling began to collapse. Tenzin turned to head away from the scene when he heard screaming coming from inside the much bigger blaze. He stopped to look back through the fire. In the distance, Tenzin could see Marui's figure weakly sauntering out of the fire in the opposite direction until he was out of sight. Tenzin held his relentless gaze at the man, but was interrupted by more screaming.

"DADDY!" The voice was faint, but still echoed its way to Tenzin's ears. The moment he recognized the voice, his heart sank and his knees ached. He nearly fell to the ground trying to limp his way back into the furnace.

"Ikki!" Tenzin tried to cry out. More of the ceiling gave in cutting Tenzin off from entering the inferno. Water was being sprayed past Tenzin, causing smoke to form in front of him. He dropped to his knees when he realized there was no way to help his daughter. There was too much fire and Tenzin already had extremely painful burns. He found himself blinded not by fire or smoke, but by water, and his jaw began to tremble as he tried to call out again. "IKKI!" He screamed even louder than the first time. The tears finally found a way out when he didn't hear his daughter answer him. He coughed and sobbed on the ground with his head hanging low when the rescue team pulled him up by his arms to lead him to safety. He wasn't the only one to feel like this though, because there was a little girl merely yards away who saw the whole thing happen.

Jinora looked on where her father could not. She was at a safe place without any fire, but she was still close enough to see through the flames. Her eyes were locked on the scene, even after the fire had died and Kai had rested a blanket over her shoulders. It was night now, but she hadn't moved an inch. Her mind was as blank as her face, not fully understanding what all had just happened. She watched on as if she expected her little sister to be carried out by the fire fighters alive yet frightened, but all the people that were brought out were in large black bags.

There was a total of 98 deaths that day in the shopping complex. Only several people were able to be identified, being the closest to the exits they were burned the least. Tenzin couldn't find his eight year old daughter anywhere among the survivors. The airbenders stayed until almost all the survivors had left for their homes. Kai knew waiting here any longer wouldn't be good for Tenzin or Jinora, who's gaze was glued to the charred remains of the large building. He and Opal exchanged miserable glances before confronting Tenzin.

"Tenzin," Kai spoke softly, "Maybe... we should go home now." Opal lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. Tenzin didn't speak or react to the touch. He could only sit more dead than alive blaming himself for everything that happened. With the help of the other airbenders, Tenzin and Jinora both climbed onto Oogie and the group took to the sky.

* * *

A tall, dark figure paced around a barely lit room. He was grunting and mumbling to himself. All he could think about was his failure of taking his revenge against the master airbender. He punched a wall and reached for his sharp blade on a nearby table. Turning, he lunged it at one of many pictures of Tenzin, some of which were already badly damaged.

"I'm not finished with you! Not yet!" He shouted at the pictures. "You may have gotten away this time, but its not over yet." He chuckled and smiled to himself as he walked towards the exit.

Closing the door to Tenzin's repeatedly stabbed faces, Marui walked through a series of hallways and made his way to a closed door. Light bled into the dark room as the man looked at his child sound asleep. Stepping in quietly, he sat on her bed and placed a light hand on her head. He gently moved his fingers through the dark strands. "Tenzin will suffer for all that's happened to me, to _us_." He whispered to the young girl. Marui leaned in and kissed the sleeping girl's forehead. "Goodnight, my dear."

* * *

There was a crowd in the main room at Air Temple Island. Unlike the joy and pride felt at Jinora's ceremony months earlier, all that filled the air was grief and sorrow. The funeral Tenzin held for his late daughter was a miserable one, and Pema was the worst about it. She couldn't remain quiet at any time. Through the eulogy and speeches, Pema's hard sobs could be lightly heard over it all, which made everyone else feel just as sad. Even Lin couldn't hide it for very long, though she preferred not to cry in front of her sister.

As the sun goldly shined through the clouds near the horizon, Tenzin and his family gathered around some light pink cherry blossom trees late in their bloom. With Pema holding their newborn, and Tenzin holding Pema, the family watched as tiny, pink pedals floated away into the light.

Korra watched from the door to the temple with a tear gently rolling down her cheek. Her face hardened as she closed her eyes and took and deep breath. She made her new goal to find Marui and take him down for good.

For the airbenders...

For Ikki...


End file.
